different approaches to multiculturalism

8/11/2019 Different Approaches to Multiculturalism

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Different Approaches To Multiculturalism

Malaysia and Singapore

Culturally diverse countries face far greater challenges in nation-building thanhomogeneous societies. Malaysia and Singapore, both multicultural in composition,had embarked on vastly different paths. While Malaysia chose affirmative actionalong racial lines, Singapore opted for meritocracy that gave every citizen a fair go

regardless of ethnicity.

Some scholars even consider the Malaysian model of multiculturalism a form ofapartheid. Malays as the dominant race which has grown to almost half thepopulation, enjoy preferential treatment in university admission, public service jobs,grants for business ventures and stock options. The main justifications being theMalays are "sons of the soil" (which is not entirely true given they came fromsouthern China earlier than the Chinese and Indian settlers) and that the Malays lagbehind the other races (another fallacy as there are poor non-Malays too).

Discriminatory policies in Malaysia created a sense of dependency among the Malaycommunity. Though this reliance mentality is also evident in the cases of handouts to

blacks in the US and aborigines in Australia, none can be compared with the allencompassing race-based policies in Malaysia. Hence, a Malay who does well wouldnot gain the same respect as one would confer to other races.

Unfortunately, the aims of uplifting the poor Malays has not been achieved after morethan three decades of implementing the discriminatory New Economic Policy by theMalaysian government. The wealth is increasingly concentrated in the hands of theMalay elite and their cronies while the majority of the Malays are still trapped inpoverty with piecemeal monetary help to placate them. The country's interest isclearly at stake. The human resource shortage in Malaysia has been exacerbated bythe incessant brain drain of educated ethnic Chinese, Indian and EurasianMalaysians migrating to greener pastures in Asia, Australia and US.

On the other hand, Singapore has strived to achieve equality for all races withinstitutional, constitutional and legal safeguards. Being a small nation struggling foreconomic survival in a region plagued by political instability in the 1960s, no time andresources could afford to be wasted. Singapore detractors point to the elitism ofmeritocracy. However, in real life there is no perfect political system that caneradicate even the subtlest forms of discrimination. At least, minority rights inSingapore are protected by law in contrast to Malaysia, where none exists. Malays inSingapore are not forgotten as they are given free education up to tertiary level ifthey could make the grade. There are some social programs to help theunderachievers be they Malays or other races from poor backgrounds. Instead ofhandouts, the Singapore government entices the poor to use education as a means

of social and economic advancement. Singapore sought to integrate the diverseethnicities through a common and neutral language English while allowing the use ofMalay, Chinese, Tamil as official languages in notices and announcements alongsideeach other. Its goals are international rather than inward looking.

It is apparent which of the above reflects a fairer multicultural system. Malaysia mayshowcase all the trappings of a progressive economy with modern infrastructuresymbolized by the Petronas twin towers, airport, hi-tech industries and affluent livingstandards. However, in practice, it is still an underdeveloped society where injusticeand inequality are rife. Despite being perceived as a moderate Muslim state by manywestern countries, the discriminatory policies in Malaysia have in recent yearsemboldened radical Muslims to agitate for stronger shariah laws. Unless concrete

actions are taken to institutionalize equality for all races, Malaysia will have to livewith limited secondary options that compromise on standards and impede itsprogress.